Sheet-delivery mechanism of printing machines



Sept. 4, 1923. 1,466.949

A. V. BUGLER ET AL.

SHEET DELIVERING MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 23. 1922 Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

ARTHUR VICTOR BUG-LEE AND THOIIIAS EDWARD DELAFON S, OF "LONDON, ENGLAND,

ASSIGNORS T0 LINO'IIYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, OF LOND O'N ENGr LAN-D, A

COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Application f led Qctober 2s, 192a seria ri 596, 289

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1 we, ART-gins VIo'ron BnoLnR and THonAs- EDWARD DE LAroNs, both subjects of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at No. 9 Kingsway, London, England, have invented new and useful improvements in Sheet-Delivery Mechanism of Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sheet-delivery mechanism of printing machines in which the grippers for taking the sheets from the impression cylinder or other organ from which those grippers are to receive them, are carried by a plurality of parallel endless chains traversed continuously or intermittently by sprocket or equivalent gearing,

In this construction of apparatus, the grippers are secured to gripper shafts extending transversely across the machine from chain to chain and their gripping or vibrating ends are intermittently closed down on to, and opened away from pad shafts extending parallel to the gripper shafts, and between which and the gripper ends the sheets are nipped to convey them from the'beforementioned cylinder or or gan, and which are afterwards opened from the pad shafts to allow the sheets to drop on to the delivery board.

The opening and closing of the grippers may be effected by any convenient means which form no part of the present invention.

In this class of mechanism difliculty arises from the stretching and expansion ,or contraction of the chains, which causes disturbance in the operative relationship between the chain grippers and the grippers from which they receive the sheets, and in some instances the variation in the lengths of the different chains may be unequal so that the perpendicularity of given sets of chain grippers to the direction of their travel through the machine is correspondingly disturbed.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for neutralizing the elfects which would ordinarily result from the aforesaid chain variations. For attaining that result we secure the gripper shafts and pad shafts to the chains in .suchinanner as will admit of them being readily and con veniently'. adjusted [direction longitudinally of .the said chains; i I i! The inventionwill be best understood by reference tothe accompanying drawings in which: 1 if lf igure l'is a diagrammatic side elevation partly broken away, of chain delivery mechanisn'i of the improved construction.

Figures 2 and 3 are views taken at right angles "to each other showing in detail, one constnuctional, form of the adjusting devices, Figure :2 being a section taken on a line parallel with the vdirection lof travel of the gripper chains, and 4 I Figures t; and 5 are views respectively similar to Figures 2 and 3, of a second constructional form of the adjusting devices.

Like reference numerals arensed to in-.

dicafte' like or corresponding parts in both of the constructional forms illustrated in the drawings.

Referring first to' Figure 1, lrepresents in fragmentary form, one of the plurality of ,par a llel endlejss chains which are traversed continuously or intermittently by sprocket or equivalent gearing represented by the dotted circle'sQ', 3.

As the grippers and gripper pads per, se,

do not constitute any part of the present invention, they'have been omitted from the drawings. but the shafts appertaining to these devices arerespectively' identified by the numerals 4 and 5, it being further explain'ed that the grippers,- which are secured 011 the shafts 4 in the ordinary manner, are caused .to close and open, for grippingand releasing the sheets, any well-knownor convenient meanswhich again form no part Iof the present invention. y

In both of the constructional forms represented in the drawings, the gripper shafts a, and pad shafts 5 (preferably tubular, as shown) are carried in plates 6 which are adjustably secured to brackets 7 forming integral parts of, or rigidly attached to, certain of the links of the chains 1. This adjustable attachment is secured by bolts 8 threaded into the brackets 7 and traversing slots 9 (Figures 2 and 4:) formed in the plates 6, so that by releasing these bolts, the

grees of adjustment and for indicating the.

plates 6 together with the respective shafts 4, 5, can be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly on thechains 1, and, by afterwards tightening the bolts, the said parts can be secured in their adjusted positions.

1 In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the plate 6 is provided with a rib or series of aligned short ribs 10 in sliding engagement with a groove 11 formed in the juxtaposed bracket 7 so that the proper working relationship of the shafts 1, 5 to the chains 1 will always be maintained, however said shafts be advanced or retired on the chains; this adjustment is effected directly by hand while the bolts 8 are loosened.

The modified constructionnext to; be described difiers from that previously described, only in respect of the means for effecting the aforesaid adjustment, the said modification, as represented in Figures 4 and 5, embodying devices for obtaining fine deextent of such adjustment. To this end, each of the plates 6 has pinned or otherwise rigidly secured to it, a screw 12 which traverses a yoke or fork 13 integral with an arm 14 formed in one with the respective bracket 7, and on this screw are threaded two nuts 15, one on either side of the yoke 13, and, according to the direction in which these nuts are threaded along the screw 12, so will the plate 6 with its shafts 4 and 5, be adjusted forward or backward relatively to the respective chain 1. For indicating the extent of this adjustment, the bracket 7 is provided with a scale 16, and the plate 6 is provided with an index or pointer 17 in registering proximity to the scale; or, obviously the reverse of this arrangement may obtain. These indicating devices serve to show the exact relationship of the different sets of grippers to each other, that is to say, whether they are parallel and at the proper distance apart, and to indicate when any set of grippers is ranged perpendicularly to its direction of travel in the machine.

Having described our invention, we declare that what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In sheet-delivery mechanism for print ing machines, the combination with an endless chain and a sheet-gripper shaft carried by said chain, of means whereby said gripper shaft is secured to the chain with 2. ca-

the bracket with a capacity for adjustment forwardly and backwardly'relatively to the chain and a gripper shaft and pad shaft both carried by and adjustable with the said plate. I

4. In sheet-delivery mechanism for printing machines, the combination with an endless chain ofa bracket rigidly connected to the chain, a plate secured to the bracket and adapted to carry the shafts of the sheetgripping mechanism, and means adapted to effect adjustment of said plate relatively to the bracket.

5. In sheet-delivery mechanism for printing machines, the combination with an endless chain of a bracket rigidly connectedto the chain, a plate secured to the bracket and adapted to carry the shafts of the sheet-l gripping mechanism, means adapted to effect adjustment of said plate relatively to the bracket and a device adapted to indicate the extent of such adjustment.

6. In sheet-delivery mechanism for printing machines, the combination with an and less chain of a bracket rigidly connected to the chain, a plate secured to the bracket and adapted to carry the shafts of the sheetgripping mechanism, a yoke integral with the bracket, a screwed rod fast to the plate and traversing said yoke, two nuts threaded on the rod on respectively opposite sides of the yoke for moving the rod longitudinally, a pointer fast to the plate and a fixed scale on the bracket with which the pointer is adapted to register.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures hereto.

ARTHUR VICTOR BUGLER. THOMAS EDWVARD DELAFONS. 

